Page 1 of 86 MS 71 June 2020 Schreck, Christopher J. BOLINGER, BRUCE LINEAR FT.: 55 APPROX. NO. PGS.: 44,800 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Bruce Bolinger was the son of a Belgian refugee who fled her homeland for England in 1914 following the outbreak of World War I, and later emigrated from Europe to the United States. Bruce himself toured Belgium and The Netherlands for the first time in 1975 where he met his great-uncle, Arthur Schrynemakers, a Dutch national who helped rescue Allied airmen, Jews, and members of the Dutch resistance movement during World War II. After his retirement from the position of Nevada County Clerk and Recorder in 1998 Bruce began to explore Schrynemakers’ activities in greater depth, uncovering a wealth of information regarding WWII escape and evasion in the process. Mr. Bolinger subsequently spent over twenty years researching the aid given to downed Allied airmen by resistance organizations and individuals during World War II in The Netherlands, Belgium, and France. He visited dozens of significant historical sites, and has spoken with countless Allied airmen, local European resistance fighters, their families, historians, and other World War II-Era scholars. His extensive WWII escape and evasion research has resulted in a comprehensive website on the subject, along with a number of published articles and speaking engagements aimed at educating the public on this important historical topic. Mr. Bolinger donated his collection of archival material to the Air Force Academy’s McDermott Library in January, 2020. This collection complements the Special Operations collection donated mainly by Colonel Brad Bradbury and the Escape and Evasion records donated by Ralph Patton. SCOPE AND CONTENT The Bolinger collection consists of 112 boxes, 10 oversized folders, and 8 books. It includes interviews with members of various resistance organizations and their families, airmen and their families, the personal papers of those involved with escape activities, legal documents, and correspondence with local and regional historical institutions and archives across much of Europe during World War II. Materials include printed documents from emails and websites, newspapers, photographs, oversized maps, magazines, pamphlets, booklets, and digital media disks (CDs, DVDs, floppy disks). Countries and regions covered in these materials include the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Norway, Spain, Germany, the Pyrenees Mountains, and the border regions between these areas. The arrangement of files in this collection is topical with the exception of Series Nine, “Maps,” which include maps from various locations and time periods. The first series focuses on Tom Applewhite, an American WWII bombardier who flew on a B-17 known as the “The Wild MS 71-BOLINGER, BRUCE Page 2 of 86 Hare,” which was shot down near Heusden, Netherlands on 11 November 1943. The second concerns a Dutch resistance organization and escape line, the Smit-van der Heijden Line, which operated near the Belgian border headed by Dutch Royal Military Policeman Karst Smit and a teacher from Hilvarenbeek named Eugene Van der Heijden. The third series focuses on Tina Lindeboom, a Dutch woman who hid airmen in her home in the southeastern part of Friesland and was awarded the Resistance Memorial Cross for her efforts. The fourth series is a collection of documents related to the Phantom Train (a.k.a. Nazi Ghost Train), a German SS-controlled cargo train that was intended to transport political prisoners and Allied airmen from Brussels to German concentration camps in 1944. The fifth includes documentation on various resistance organizations and escape lines operating throughout Europe during WWII. The sixth and seventh series’ focus on operations specifically in Norway and across the Pyrenees Mountains respectively. There is frequent overlap of information between each series as topics are closely intertwined within the collection. The division of files and documents reflects the organizational structure implemented by the donor, Mr. Bruce Bolinger, due to his vast knowledge of both the subject and the contents of the collection. The contents of each series are noted in greater detail below. SERIES ONE-Tom Applewhite: 16 Boxes Series one includes biographical information on escapee Tom Applewhite, as well as information on his journey across Europe during WWII. It also includes information on the following topics: the Wild Hare B-17 Bomber, the crew of the Wild Hare, other airmen who escaped with Applewhite, men and women who helped Applewhite and others escape occupied Europe, and a Norwegian ship named the Lisbeth. These documents include photographs, maps, illustrations, and newspaper articles, along with digital media on compact disks and floppy disks. SERIES TWO-Smit-van der Heijden Operations: 46 Boxes The largest series in the collection, series two contains information about the Smit-van der Heijden escape line and a wide range of sub-topics that pertain to those operations. Some of these include: Karst Smit, Eugene van der Heijden, other members of the organization, connections to other escape lines, aid given to escapees, arrests, prisons, concentration camps, cafés, hotels, and other centers of resistance activity. These materials include photographs, maps, illustrations, articles, interviews, and memorials, along with digital media on compact disks and floppy disks. SERIES THREE-Tina Lindeboom The smallest series in the collection, series three consists of seven binders assembled by Mr. Bolinger and a single additional folder. Included in this series is biographical information concerning Tina Lindeboom and her family, helpers and escapees connected to Ms. Lindeboom, and official documents from government and military agencies. These materials include photographs, newspaper articles, official records, and correspondence. SERIES FOUR-The Phantom Train Series four consists of information regarding the “Phantom Train” (Le Train Fantôme), also known as the Nazi Ghost Train. Near the end of World War II the Nazi-controlled Phantom Train was attempting to transport political prisoners and Allied airmen from Saint-Gilles prison in Brussels to camps in Germany. Following a series of delays caused by unruly prisoners and MS 71-BOLINGER, BRUCE Page 3 of 86 local resistance sympathizers, however, the train was intercepted and nearly 1500 men in thirty freight cars were set free. This series includes prisoner lists, official documents, awards, correspondence, hand-written notes, newspaper articles, photographs, and digital media disks. SERIES FIVE-Resistance Organizations and Escape Lines Series five consists of materials from escape lines and resistance organizations other than the Smit-van der Heijden line. Some of these organizations include Lucter et Emergo/Fiat Libertas, Luc-Marc, Service EVA, Bayard, the Boon Organization, Swane Group, the Comet Line, and the Engelandvaarders. This collection also contains materials relating to German collaborators throughout the region. This series includes newspaper articles, photographs, and digital media disks. SERIES SIX-Escape and Evasion-Norway Series six contains information on escape and evasion materials specifically concerning activities in Norway during World War II. This series includes newspaper articles, photographs, magazines, and both floppy and compact digital media disks. SERIES SEVEN-Escape and Evasion-Pyrenees Series seven contains information on escape and evasion materials specifically concerning activities across the Pyrenees Mountains, which form the border between France and Spain. This is where those travelling along many of these escape lines found themselves as they made their way out of occupied Europe. This series includes newspapers, photographs, magazines, pamphlets, oversized maps, and booklets. SERIES EIGHT-WWII Escape and Evasion Research Series eight consists of escape and evasion materials that fall outside of the scope of other subgroups within the collection, as determined by Mr. Bolinger. It includes flyer reports, information from a variety of research organizations, copies of published and unpublished books, and other materials associated with Mr. Bolinger’s escape and evasion research. SERIES NINE-Maps This collection consists of maps of different sizes. Smaller maps are contained in boxes, while larger maps are held in oversized folders stored in a designated map case within special collections. All or most of these maps appear to have been produced fairly recently, and do not appear to be unique except for handwritten notes that appear on many of them. MS 71-BOLINGER, BRUCE Page 4 of 86 ARRANGEMENT AND DESCRIPTION SERIES ONE : Tom Applewhite BOX ONE: Binders Binder 1 Titled “The Evasion of 2nd Lt. Tom Applewhite.” A comprehensive account of Tom Applewhite’s military service and evasion, including reports, photographs, timelines, and more. Binder 2 Titled “Power Point Presentation: The Evasion of Tom Applewhite.” A large binder filled with various materials about escape and evasion. The title does not appear to correspond directly to its contents. BOX TWO: Binders Binder 1 Titled “Letters to Tom Vol. I.” Correspondence between Bruce Bolinger and Tom Applewhite between the years 2000 and 2006. Binder 2 Titled “Letters to Tom Applewhite Vol. II.” Correspondence between Bruce Bolinger and Tom Applewhite between the years 2003 and 2007. BOX THREE: Binders Binder 1 Titled “De Noo and Van Bommel: The First Three Days.” Documents concerning the first three days after Applewhite’s plane was shot